


11. Redemption.

by cosmichlo



Category: Until Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Cannibalism Mentions, Hurt and comfort, Mental Illness, Other, Trauma, Wendigo!Josh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-30
Updated: 2015-12-30
Packaged: 2018-05-10 07:40:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5577046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cosmichlo/pseuds/cosmichlo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All alone in the mines, Josh had resigned himself to the fact that he was going to turn into a cannibalistic monster. In search of more food, or perhaps some form of help, he ventures outside of the caves and accidently finds himself face to face with a friend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	11. Redemption.

**11\. REDEMPTION.**

_144 HOURS AFTER DAWN_

 

 Darkness.

 It was all there was. It didn't matter which way he looked. There was only the never-ending mines, shrouded in a black blanket of night; always accompanied by the putrid smell of rotting flesh. Was this all he deserved? He was certain that they had left him there on purpose. Abandoned and alone. Left for dead... Maybe this was their payback. A revenge prank of sorts.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid!_

 He had been desperate. The decaying, headless corpse that had lain beside him for so  long... How long? Weeks, days, months? He had lost track of time. He had thought that maybe, maybe, if he had just... taken one bite. One bite of the disgusting meat would be enough to sustain him a little longer until perhaps someone came looking for him. But once he started, he couldn't stop. A new sensation had kicked in almost immediately. A primal instinct to hunt, to maim... To Kill. Whatever it took, he had to eat. It wasn't like a corpse would make much use of his limbs anymore anyway, right? In a way, it was such a human thing to do; to brutally carry on through survival instinct alone, no matter what it took. Or at least, that's what Josh kept repeating to himself, like an obsessive mantra; in hopes of reassurance. Part of him, whatever last piece of humanity that was deeply rooted inside the back of his conscience, still clinging on, knew it was wrong. He should stop. He should get up, fend off those... Monsters. Not become one! But Josh had never really had much of a grasp on humanity anyway, even before his new, razor sharp teeth had protruded from his gums and sliced through his cheek - slowly turning him into a merciless abomination.

 It wasn't until he ran out of a food source did he finally decide to move. He had finished occupying himself with the lifeless bags of flesh that his sister - or what was once his sister - had left behind for him and he knew he couldn't keep going on in this way. He shook violently with every step forward. There was a ringing in his mind, like an alarm that wouldn't switch off; _eat, eat, eat_!! He tried to ignore it as best he could, slowly dragging himself down the barren, deserted mine shafts. He didn't know how long it took. It felt like he would never see any light again. But he did.

It was surpisingly... green and vast. There was no hint of the powdery snow that had covered the land when he had last set foot out in the open air. The freshness of it all, the birds chriping, the beautiful flowers adorning the landscape... It gave him an eerie feeling. It was too cheerful, too full of hope. How much time had passed? He let out a wail, choking slightly from the rush of emotions that hit him so suddenly, those that he had bottled up for so long. He didn't think he would ever experience such powerful things again. It was frightening. He wanted it to stop.

 He felt like the universe was against him, tormenting him and cursing him to live out the rest of his pathetic life in a nightmare ever since that fateful year he lost his dear sisters. 

 He shook his head rapidly, trying to climb out of the dark pit of self-loathing and regret that was his thoughts. Looking around through hazy irises, the dirty-haired brunette tried to focus on his surrondings. Up in the distance, partially covered by rocky mountain, lay the lodge of Blackwood Pines. Or, at least, what remained of it. It now lay in shambles, the ancient wood darkened to a smokey black with sharp chips of glass strewn over it like frost. The house that he had grown up in with Hannah and Beth was now destroyed, along with the fond childhood memories that had taken place inside it. Josh smirked slightly - a strange sight, to be sure, on someone with half their face torn to pieces. It was a fitting end. First his sisters, then the house, then him - all ripped into shreds. As was the Washington fate.

 And then came the noise. It was faint at first, a distant _thump, thump, thump_. It was repetitive and yet... there didn't seem to be a regular timing to it. It sounded like clumsy, frantic footsteps. But it couldn't be... No one would come here! Surely his friends hated him, had gone past the point of caring if he still even existed. He was going mad, he had to be. Well, madder to be exact... He had definitely lost any grip on sanity years ago, so perhaps he was just falling even further down his spiral of delusion.

 Slowly, an aching resignation stretched across his tattered face, he turned around, meaning to return to his hell hole in the mines, only to be stopped in his tracks, frozen in shock. There, about 10 feet before him, was Samantha. The girl that he had terrorised and hurt so deeply - whom he never thought he would have the opportunity to see again.

 Turning away from him quickly, she made a gesture towards some bushes behind her, motioning to the search group that had accompanied her to drop their weapons and restraining gear. Josh hadn't even noticed their arrival, too caught up in hungrily taking in every piece of his one time friend, trying to memorise every aspect of her; trying to make sure that she was real. It wouldn't be the first time his mind was playing tricks on him. He flinched away from her, uncertain whether he could trust his damaged eyes anymore.

 The disfigured boy frowned, trying to form words with intense difficulty. It was like his sharp teeth had eaten away his ability to speak. In a small, croaky voice, he choked out another sob, shedding tears in the process.

 He should be dead. He should have died long ago. Should have joined his sisters in the grave, never to move again. But here he was, still clinging on, barely human but still... Alive. And there she was, standing there like a ray of sunshine after a storm. His eyes couldn't help but glint with a faint glow of hope.

 Sam's expression softened, a wave of relief washing away her wariness upon seeing she had been recognised. Her intuition had been right, he wasn't too far gone yet. Slowly, hands stretched forward to show that she meant no harm, she crossed the distance between them, stumbling slightly over a clump of stones and branches as she went. And then she did something that shocked him even more. She pulled him into a genuine embrace, carefully patting his back in a reassuring manner as if meaning that it was okay, that he would be alright. He cried even more at this, his tears dampening the shoulder of the girl's jacket.

"Josh, let's go home."

And suddenly, things didn't feel quite as dark anymore.

**Author's Note:**

> I didn't want to drag it on more but basically what ends up happening is he gets to the hospital, they file down his teeth, stitch up his scars and gashes, and give him proper medical and emotional help. All the teens are super nice to him and teach him how to read and talk again and they all get along and apologize for what happened and it's all fluffy and good and he is cared for like he deserved to be.


End file.
